Banks 2 1/2

Banks you are 2 1/2 years old!

You are full of energy, but extremely sweet!  I LOVE your personality!

You are a talker!  We joke all the time and say that you have met your word quota for the day.  Its nonstop chatter around here.  Here are some funny things you have said lately:

- (On the way to GG and Pop Pops house) "Mommy, no go GG house" (I then said surprised, "you don't wanna go to GG's house?"..he thought for a while... "No...mommy go to mommy house, MY go to GG house!"  I guess its more fun without the stinky parents!

- "Mommy, my wub you.  I wub you moon and back!"  (heart. melt.)

- When asked if he wanted cookie or ice cream...he thought and thought...and finally "BOF!"

- You also like to use "not yet" or "right now" a lot

- In the car...  Banks: "Bakey I wub you"  Blakely: "Banks I love you too" Banks: "Bakey I love you moon and back!"

- Blakely sneezed:  Banks "Bwess you Bakey"  Blakely: "Thank you Banks" Banks: "Your welcome Bakey!"  So polite :)

- "Mommy, I wub Walter!"

- 5 min later "Mommy no hold walter, mommy play choo choo wit me!"

- Right when you woke up in the morning one morning, instead of the normal "Mommy, I want out!" on the monitor, I heard "Mommy, I need a hug, I NEED a hug!!"

You are a social little boy and make friends easily.  You are not afraid of bigger kids, you jump right in!  

You tell mommy and daddy that you love them all the time and give our kisses daily! 

Favorite foods: Yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, anything sweet (Cookies, ice cream, cake, cupcakes, etc), mac and cheese, corn, fried okra, spaghetti, sweet potatoes, cheeseburgers, muffins, PB&J

You are still a BIG eater!

Dislikes: eggs 

You love pirates, choo choos, and dinosaurs!  You have REALLY started using your imagination when playing with them.  There is always a story line going with your pirates (usually involving them pee peeing on the potty, going night night, going to time out, etc haha).  Its so fun to sit back and watch you play!  You would still read books for HOURS if I continued to read them.

You know all your colors, shapes, numbers, and some letters.  You can recognize numbers and count items to about 10.  You can count up to about 20 but not when actually counting objects.  We are working on recognizing more letters.  You really LOVE to learn and usually ask for "more!" when I am teaching you things.  You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and you amaze me by how you answer all the questions correctly!

You recently learned your full name, so now when they say, whats your name, you says "Banks Matthew Cogdill...but more like Bates Mattew Toddill" haha

You are still working on that hard K or C sound. 

You are a HAPPY kid!  You usually wake up smiling and are happy most the day.  You do have the occasional melt down, but they are really not too bad.  Twos have not been terrible, they have been AWESOME!  I always say I would keep you two forever if I could.  You are just SO much fun! 

You are the BEST big brother.  When people ask, how was the transition, I tell them it was seamless.  You never skipped a beat and have loved your brother from day one.  I cannot tell you how proud I was of how you have handled it.  You never cease to amaze me!  You are a big helper and never complain about the time I take with Walker.  I cannot wait until you two are big enough to play and become best friends.  

You are on the go 24-7.  You do not like crafts or anything that makes you sit still.  You like jumping, climbing, running, etc.  If you are too hyper in the evenings I make you run laps around the house while I count.  It works to get all that energy out haha! You love life and are full of personality. Honestly, your energy is one of my favorite things about you! 

You are sleeping GREAT in your big boy bed. You transitioned right after your second birthday.  You sleep from 8-7/7:30 and usually nap for 2 hours at 2:00.  You still go down very quickly for bed and nap.  You are probably asleep within 5 min of us laying you down.  

Potty training is happening very slowly.  We are not pushing it.  You will go for a week or two when you will pee pee on the potty a couple times a day, but then a few days where you don't want to.  That is ok with us, we are taking it slow.  Blakely is pretty much fully potty trained now, so I am thinking you will follow closely after her to keep up ;) 

You are such a joy Banks, we love you so!  You have made our lives richer, fuller, funnier, more exciting, busier, and more exhausting ;)  God gave us the most precious gift in you.  I still cannot believe he entrusted us to be your parents, we are so, so lucky.